Regular exercise is well known for promoting and maintaining good health. Such exercise has been found by many to be effectively done on exercise machines. Such machines typically have a stationary base and one or more moving parts. At least one of the moving parts is usually moved by the person doing the exercise and the machine often provides resistance to the movement of the part. Moving the part against the resistance is often the essence of the exercise performed on the machine.
Many others prefer to exercise without the use of exercise machines, such as by running or walking on a stationary surface, doing calisthenics, or jumping rope. Still others prefer to employ exercise routines that include exercises performed using machines and other exercises in which machines are not employed. An exercise routine including different exercises is sometimes referred to as “cross training” Further, some prefer to do only one form of exercise but change the form of exercise from time to time. For example, an individual may use exercise machines for a period of time, then cease such use and exercise without using machines, such as by running Employing different forms of exercise, either within a current exercise routine, or serially over different time periods has been found to improve the health and athletic performance of some people.
To accommodate the wide variety of exercises in which people may individually engage, health clubs and other exercise facilities have become very popular because they typically provide different types of exercise machines and spaces where people may perform exercises in which exercise machines are not used. Having a single location in which exercise machines and spaces for other types of exercise are situated has been found to be very convenient and efficient by many people. Consequently, health clubs and other exercise facilities are widely used as the place where many people exercise.
People, who exercise, especially those who exercise regularly, are naturally interested in completing their exercise routines correctly. They are also frequently interested in the physical effects on their bodies and health of the particular exercises they perform. An effective way of ensuring an exercise routine is completed and ascertaining the physical effects thereof is to record specific data related to the exercises immediately after the performance thereof. One way some people accomplish this is by carrying a notebook, journal or diary with them when they exercise and writing data regarding their exercises immediately after they complete the exercise. Such data may include, for example, for a weight-lifting type exercise using an exercise machine, the type of exercise performed, the exercise machine, the number of repetitions of the exercise, the number of sets of repetitions performed (if more than one set), and the magnitude of the weight lifted or resistance provided by the exercise machine.
Handwriting data related to exercise in a notebook or the like can be time-consuming, a distraction from the performance of the exercises, and possibly inaccurate due to the attention that must be given to the various activities associated with exercises. Such activities include not only the physical performance of exercises themselves, but also may include the setting up and adjustment of machines, devices and free weights. Also, the person doing the exercises may be rushed due to personal reasons, for example, exercising during the lunch hour of the person's employment, which may contribute to inaccuracies in the person's handwritten record of data related to the person's exercises.
Useful data related to exercises may be difficult or cumbersome to record by hand. Examples of such data include the amount of time taken to perform specific exercises and time between exercises, the latter of which may provide rest. Such rest periods typically make easier subsequent exercises. Other exercise related data that may be difficult or cumbersome to record by hand is data related to strenuous cardiovascular exercises, such as high speed or distance running, because the person doing such exercise is typically very fatigued immediately after such exercise.
Additional data that is typically difficult or cumbersome to record by hand relates to weight lifting, and the data may include the distance between the weight lifted and the center of mass of the person lifting the weight. This distance is significant because the force that must be exerted by the person to lift the weight generally increases if the distance between the weight and the person's center of mass increases. The making of such a measurement by the person performing an exercise involving weight lifting or locating another to assist in the making of such a measurement would be difficult. This difficulty would be compounded if multiple weight lifting exercises involving different positions and distances relative to the weights were included in a single person's exercise session. The difficulty of recording exercise data by hand may be expected to increase in the future because the types of data available are becoming more numerous due to the increasing complexity and variety of exercises, exercise machines, and other exercise equipment.
A further difficulty associated with exercise related data recorded by hand is that, frequently, it is desired for another person to review the data for interpretation and professional advice regarding the physical effects of specific exercises on the people performing the exercises. Review of the data for interpretation and professional advice may also be sought regarding whether the performance of the exercises could be improved, different exercises should be performed, and the health of the person who performed the exercises to which the data pertained. Consequently, the exercise related data may be advantageously reviewed by, for example, personal trainers, athletic trainers, physical therapists, physician assistants, nurses and doctors. Communicating such data, if recorded by hand, to such individuals may be difficult and cumbersome, especially if such data is complex and substantial in amount. The complexity and amount of such data provided to such individuals will likely increase if such individuals are to provide their optimal professional opinions and advice regarding the physical effects of specific exercises on the people performing the exercises due to the increasingly complexity, detail, scientific nature, and sophistication of exercise, exercise machines and other equipment, medical science, and health care.
Recording exercise related data by hand and communicating such data to others for interpretation and professional advice regarding the data may be difficult and cumbersome.
Thus, there is a technological problem in the art because there is presently no way to accurately capture enough information regarding a person's specific exercise routine such that someone else who is not observing the exercise can, at a later time, have a more complete picture of the person's exercise while it was being performed and its effects over and above the amount of exercise (i.e., repetitions), time expended for that exercise, weight(s) used, and perhaps biometric information such as heart rate.